Wire fence



(No Model.)`

l WIRE FENcp.

No. 562,413. 4 Patented June 23,1896.

Fyl- 5 w i Nirnn f STATES'.

` ATENT Grrrcn.

, JOHN M-CKEE, OF WARREN, QHl.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,413, dated June 23, 1896.

Application filed September 7, 1895. Serial No. 561,830. (No model.) i

VTo @ZZ whom t may concern' Be it known that I, JOHN MCKEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Warren, in the county of Trumbull and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Vire Fence, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to Vwire fences, particularly tothe posts therefor, it being my object to provide a metallic post that is simple and cheap in manufacture and so formed as to be exceedingly rigid and strong, being braced iirmly against lateral strains in any direction and also against twisting and compression strains.

My improved post is adapted to receive any kind of fence-wire and any number of runners, and each post is complete in itself, not depending on any other post or on supplementary braces or stays for its rigidity.

My invention will now be particularlyv set forth by description and illustration and defined by claims. i

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved fence-post. Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view of the upper portion thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section. Fig. 4: is a horizontal cross-section through the post adjacent to one of the connectingbraces. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the upper end of the base portion of the post.

Reference-numeral 1 designates the baseanchor or stub-post, which :is of any approved substance, as wood, iron, stone,or cement, but preferably of the latter, as set forth in my patent therefor, No. 440,323, dated November 11, 1890. Firmly secured to the opposite faces of base 1 by bolts 2 are the main members 3 and 4 of my fencepost proper. These members are made of flat bar iron or steel of suitable size accordingto the height of fence and distance between posts. These members are formed, preferably, integrally from one piece of flat bar metal, the facing member 3 being carried up in a straight line slantin g inwardly slightly over the base 1, so that the top 5 of the post willcome approximately in the plane of the axis of the post. At the top 5 the strap of bar metal is bent over on itself and secured in place by a rivet or bolt 6, the two depending sides being slightly spaced apart by a tubular washer 7, sleeved over bolt G to form an eye or passage S thereabove. The bracing or strut member et is then carried down, facing flatwise the opposing member 3 and diverging therefrom slightly for a short distance from the top 5 and again secured to member 3 by a bolt or rivet 9 and tubular washer 10 similarly to the upper' rivet and washer. The strut member 4 is then given a quarter-twist 12, so as to bring it into a plane perpendicular to the plane of face member 3 andis carried down in a straight portion 13 to the base 1, where it is bent back again by quarter-twist 14, so as to extend against the face of base 1 parallel to the bottom end of member 3. Twist 14c may be made so close to the top of base 1 as to require the adjacent edge of said post to be beveled at 15,whereby additional bracing and stiffening effect is secured.

The face member 3 of the post is provided with a plurality of small perforations 16, arranged in pairs in vertical alinement along the middle of said face member. These pairs of perforations 16 arespaced apart the distance it is. desired to separate the fen ce-wires, and each pair is provided to receive a connecting brace 0r bracket 17. This brace may be in the form of a small casting or of a punched-out piece of metal, or it may be made of wire twisted in any suitable form. l prefer, however, to make the braces 17 ofwire bent as follows: The ends 18 of the wire are passed through the respective holes 16 of a pair until the middle portion 19 of the wire abuts against the front face of member 3. The ends 1S are then bent down tightly past each other at 2O and curved over rearwardly to form loop portion 21. They are then twisted together at 22, said twisted portion increasing in length from the top brace down, to accommodate the diverging arrangement `of the post members, and the free ends are then wrapped at 23 tightly around strut member 4 from opposite sides and wound at 24 one or more times around the twist 22. rlhis insures a firm strengtheningbrace to maintain the post members in their adjusted relations, and also provides a special eye or loop 21 to receive the fence-wires 25.

Fence-wires 25 may be run through loops 21 of successive posts and secured therein at such intervals as it is deemed advisable, or they may be secured at every post. This IOO may be done by wrapping an extra piece of wire around the facing member and twisting its free ends around the main wire on either side of said post, or the main line-wire itself may be passed around the face member at 26 and threaded through loop 2l from the opposite direction to its prolongation and then carried back at 27 around the front face of member 3 again, and prolonged or continued on the next post. This manner of threading the fence-wire forms an absolutely rigid fence.

The top wire is threaded through eye 8 at the top of the post, and the next lower wire is secured through a loop 28, that is hung by its perforated ends 29, which are bent together and' adjusted over bolt 9, between washer lO and the face member 3. rlhe bottom wire or wires are inserted through grooves 30, cut or molded inthe base-anchor l behind the face member 3.

Various changes and substitutions besides those noted above may be made within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Vhat I claim isl. A fence-post consisting of an upright extending in the planeet the fence, and a strut connected to the upper end of the post and diverging downward therefrom, in combination with a tie-brace consisting of a piece of wire having its ends threaded through openvings in the post and crossed upon the opposite side, the terminals of the wire being then looped to form an eye for the line-Wire, then twisted upon each other until they meet the strut, the extremities of the wire being wrapped around the strut and secured, substantially as described.

2. A fence-post composed of a iiat upright extending in the plane of the fence and a flat strut member secured thereto, at the top of said upright and extending divergently therefrom to the foot or base, said strut being intcrmediately twisted to bring' its main portion or length in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said upright, and transverse braces or brackets secured to and rigidly joining said upright and said strut member at intervals corresponding to the fence-wires, substantially as described.

3. A fence-post composed of a fiat upright extending in the plane of the fence and a iiat strut member secured thereto, at the top of said upright and extending d ivergently therefrom to the foot or base, said strut being intermediately twisted to bring its main portion or length in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said upright, and transverse braces or brackets secured to and rigidly joining said upright and said strut member at intervals corresponding to the fence-wires, said braces or brackets being provided with eyes .or loops adjacent to the upright to receive l and secure the said fence-wires, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a suitable base, of a fence-post composed of two members secured thereto on opposite parallel sides, said membersv being formed of iiat bar metal, and

1 converged and properly bolted together at '1 their upper meeting ends, the forward or face member being flat in the same approximately vertical plane and provided at intervals with perforations arranged in pairs, the rear or strut member being latwise parallel to the face member at its upper and lower extremities and twisted between said extremities to llie in a plane perpendicular to the plane of `said face member Wire braces threaded through the respective pairs of perforations and provided adjacent thereto on the rear of isaid vface member with loops or eyes, and further formed with a twisted portion adjacent to the rear of said loop and embracing arms extending around the strut member and having their free ends wrapped around the ,said twisted portions, substantially as de- Escribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixed my `signature in ,the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MCKEE. INTitnesses:

J. CLYDE MCKEE, C. R. SMITH. 

